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Cemetery Citings

Posted on October 31, 2013

Halloween ghosts and goblins aren’t the only ones who haunt cemeteries. Cemeteries are also “haunted” by genealogists and art lovers. Here’s an eclectic list of titles at the Newberry which might put you in the spirit!

Hucke, Matt, Ursula Bielski. Graveyards of Chicago : the people, history, art, and lore of Cook County cemeteries. Chicago : Lake Claremont Press, 1999. Call No. Chicago Browsing F547.C7 H84 1999. Descriptions of Chicago cemeteries as well as photos and stories about some of Chicago’s more famous deceased.

Keister, Douglas. Stories in stone : a field guide to cemetery symbolism and iconography. Salt Lake City : Gibbs Smith, Publisher, c2004. Call No. Local History Ref NB1800 .K45 2004. A great handbook for doing cemetery research. It contains lists of society, club and organization acronyms; symbols of club and fraternal organizations; religious and ethnic symbols; and a section on mausoleum architecture.

Menachemson, Nolan. A practical guide to Jewish cemeteries. Bergenfield, NJ : Avotaynu, 2007. Call No. Local History Ref BM712 .M48 2007. Contains an explanation of the Hebrew calendar, rituals, traditions and symbols. Also provides short histories of some famous Jewish cemeteries.

Sloane, David Charles. The last great necessity : cemeteries in American history. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, c1991. Call No. GT3203.A2 S56 1991. Interesting examination of the history of American cemeteries from colonial times to the present via the examination of four representative cemeteries.